Injidup Spa Retreat is a luxury resort on the coast of Western Australia, 20 minutes south of Dunsborough. Part of the Small Luxury Hotels of the World group, Injidup “is a tranquil beach spa resort surrounded by 3000 acres of the unspoiled Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park in the heart of the Margaret River wine district. Each secluded, French-inspired villa overlooks the ocean and is perfect for nature lovers seeking peace and privacy with the convenience of contemporary living and private plunge pools.”

Restaurant Amuse, amongst other awards, has been named Perth’s best restaurant for the last three years by the Australian Gourmet Traveller Restaurant Guide. When I was researching Perth restaurants in October, the only Friday night booking for the rest of the year happened to be the Friday J and I were in Perth. I quickly jumped onto the online booking system (love these!) and made a reservation.

Cape Lodge is a five star luxury boutique hotel in the Margaret River, and not only is the hotel itself an award winner, but the retsurant has also been named in Conde Naste Traveller’s 2012 Gold List for Best for Food.

Cullen wines is one of the smaller wineries in the Margaret river region, however they are doing big things with their wines, and the food in the restaurant. The wine is made from biodynamically grown grapes, and “all food in the restaurant is prepared using fresh, biodynamic and organic produce and is sourced from our own garden and select local producers.”

Leeuwin Estate is one of the founding wineries of the Margaret River wine region. It was created by American winemaker Robert Mondavi on what was a cattle farm in 1972. Leeuwin consistently produces some of the best wines in Australia, with the Art Series chardonnay being a favourite of mine and J’s.

J and I headed to Western Australia for a week’s holiday. It was a second visit to our largest state for both us, mine was when I was in primary school on a family holiday, and J’s first trip was a work trip only the week before we went together!Read the rest of this entry »

The tourism people in Wellington, New Zealand, decided the best way to promote their great food and wine to us Aussies was to do it through a pop-up restaurant. Last year this restaurant was in Sydney, this year it was Melbourne’s turn, and WLG was born.Read the rest of this entry »

In Japan, an izakaya is a drinking establishment which also serves food, sort of like the Japanese version of a pub. Many izakaya style restaurants have been popping up in Melbourne over the last few years. One of them, Izakaya Den has been on mine and J’s wish list for a while now, and one Saturday night, before a concert, we finally got there!Read the rest of this entry »